Balaam's Wood

Balaam's Wood is an area of 6.5 acres of Ancient woodland in the southwest of Birmingham. The area is an important area of open space in the Frankley area and is also part of the key wildlife corridor – the Rea Valley. The woodland is chiefly Oak with an under planting of Hazel. The site is also bordered by an informal meadow landscape that was originally planted by a local ‘Friends of the Earth Group’ as a wildflower meadow. The eastern section of the site is currently threatened by a proposed rail extension to Frankley which will bisect the woodland. In response to this threat a local group – The Friends of Balaam’s Wood – was formed. In addition to campaigning on behalf of the site, the group is involved in maintaining the site. The group’s activities include site clean-ups, habitat and species surveys, and projects with local play schemes. The group has recently succeeded in securing a Millennium grant to part-fund a dedicated ranger for the Longbridge Ward.

Concrete to Coriander

The Concrete to Coriander project is a Bangladesh Women's Community Garden at Small Heath Park in Birmingham. The project was developed in 1999 through the work of CSV Environment and a grant from NLCB. The project aims, in partnership with the local community, to make productive use of existing gardens, many of which have been long abandoned. The project also aims to give women in Saltley and Small Heath the opportunity to learn new skills, reduce isolation and improve their health and general well-being through gardening and horticulture. The project is in its third year and is growing in popularity. In addition to a communal garden at Small Heath Park the project also has gardens at Adderley Primary School and Hob Moor Road Allotments. The project worker – employed by CSV Environment also works with the project participants to encourage gardening in their own backyards.

Land at Vincent Drive

The Land at Vincent Drive is an area of informal open green space and derelict land 3km from the city centre. This large site is at the confluence of a number of key wildlife corridors, including the Bourn Brook, a railway and canal. The site is rich in wildlife with a number of significant habitats, including woodland, meadow, bog and grassland together with the linear habitat of the Borun Brook which flows through the site. The site is also important for local populations of badger and water vole as well as many invertebrates. By virtue of its industrial past the site hosts a number of unique soil and habitat formations that have developed since the site was abandoned. The site thus provides a key ecological resource in this area of Birmingham, and is also well used as a site for informal recreation, exercise and dog walking, as well as fly tipping and racing, then abandoning cars. The site is threatened by three separate developments – the expansion of the adjacent hospital, the creation of a retail park and the creation of a relief road – which might threaten the integrity of the habitat. In response to this threat a informal collective has formed to oppose the developments. The group, along with members of the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trusts, is presently engaged in fighting these developments and pushing for adequate mitigation to be taken if the developments go ahead. The group is also involved in work on the site, including, surveying, planting, maintenance and the construction of temporary works of protest such as a ‘wicker man’.